29/11/2019 The leaders of the five Central Asian republics met in Tashkent on 29 November for a historic summit. This is the second annual meeting of the heads of state after the first was held in Kazakhstan in March 2018. Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is credited with providing the initiative for a formalised annual meeting
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28/11/2019 The conclusion of the eighth Sri Lankan Presidential elections on 16 November 2019, has sparked much concern for the democracy of the nation and its people. According to the official results, the election drew to a close with opposition candidate Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) claiming victory, receiving 52.25 percent
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27/11/2019 On November 21, the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) hosted a closed-door roundtable on ‘Strengthening EU-Viet Nam Defence and Security Cooperation’. This event served as a platform to exchange views on cooperation from European and Vietnamese experts and officials, following the signing of the EU-Viet Nam Framework Participation Agreement (FPA) last month. EIAS
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25/11/2019 11 April 2019 marked a turning point in Sudan’s history with the ousting of al-Bashir, ending his 30-year-long de facto totalitarian rule. Despite Sudan being endowed with large oil wealth, the Sudanese government under al-Bashir faced difficulties in strengthening and diversifying the country’s economy. The mismanagement of the oil industry and its revenues, along
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25/11/2019 On 6 November 2019, during the second China International Import Expo (CIIE), the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan and the Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan concluded in Beijing the negotiations on an agreement on Geographical Indications (GI). The deal will protect 100 European and a further 100 Chinese GI
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Photo Credits: ISPI Published by ISPI on November 12. In a world where great power rivalry is seemingly overtaking the multilateral world order, a regional organisation with lofty ideals such as “One vision, one identity, one community”, seems anachronistic. However, looking at the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, it looks like Southeast Asia is feeling
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07/11/2019 The Republic of Uzbekistan is due to hold parliamentary elections on 22 December 2019, the first to be held under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The international community will be watching proceedings closely through the usual network of international observers and organisations. The main objectives of the observation will be to determine the current strength and
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06/11/2019 On 7 October 2019, the hearing of the Executive Vice President-Designate – with the specific portfolio of “Europe Fit for the Digital Age” – Margrethe Vestager took place in the European Parliament. During the hearing, Vestager, who will hold the double portfolio “digital and competitiveness”, stressed how in the digital field the EU should
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06/11/2019 From 2 to 4 November 2019, Bangkok hosted the 35th ASEAN Summit. The Summit consisted of a series of high-level meetings between ASEAN and dignitaries from international organisations such as the UN and the IMF, as well as from neighbouring and global powers. This four-day event served as a central platform to discuss and
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04/11/2019 The 2019 Sri Lankan Presidential Election will be the eighth Presidential election. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), a socially right-wing and economically left-wing party rooted in Sinhalese nationalism and social democracy, will run against the main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa from the centre-right United National Party (UNP). Both candidates are
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